Should employers ask applicants for their Facebook logins and passwords?

Facebook has issued a warning to employers asking applicants to divulge their passwords:

"Facebook takes your privacy seriously. We’ll take action to protect the privacy and security of our users, whether by engaging policymakers or, where appropriate, by initiating legal action, including by shutting down applications that abuse their privileges."

Lots more at: "Facebook: Protecting Your Passwords and Your Privacy"
https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook-and-privacy/protecting-your-passwords-and-your-privacy/326598317390057

It isn't a good idea, and is completely unnecessary. If the person was being considered for a position that required a security clearance, that may be different. But in cases of security clearances, there is a protocol to go through in order to investigate the candidate very carefully. And the agencies that issue these clearances should work with Facebook to get permission from them, if the candidate has given written permission, to log into the account. However, it would be tricky to determine just what the agency would and should look at within Facebook.

For all other positions, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever. There is mention in some articles that some cities have wanted to see if the candidate has any "gang affiliations". Well, here's the thing, if they have to go into their Facebook account to figure that out, they are not doing their background checks right, or paying attention to their employees very carefully when they are on the job, etc.

I think Facebook's written response is fantastic, and I hope that the HR and/or legal departments of both private companies and government agencies realize this is a foolish request, and make a policy specifically against trying to access a person's Facebook account through their login and password. Should they want to friend a candidate/employee and monitor their account for public comments that are negative against the company, etc., fine. I think that is a bit over the top, though. And wonder who has time for this? Plus the fact that anyone that KNOWS how to use Facebook isn't going to make comments where their employer or others they are worried about can see them. So what's the point? Unless one employee is harassing another employee, or if there is another legitimate cause, I see no point in having anyone at the company checking their wall all the time.

Companies and agencies that are trying to bully folks into doing this, in my opinion, have a very warped sense of respect for a person's privacy. And I wonder why anyone would want to staff their company with a bunch of sheeple? Or if they are so desperate they give in because they really need a job that badly, do you think they are really going to stick around when they can find another job later where their privacy is respected? It's a bad practice, and like most bad interviewing/hiring practices it will come to bite them in the ass later.